The Biblical Mandate to Reach the Unreached

As Christians we have a biblical mandate to take the message of Jesus to all peoples.  Jesus said "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole of creation" Mark 16:15 and "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" Matthew 28:19.

We also have the expectation that in heaven there will be people from every people group.  "Before me was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every tribe, people and language standing before the throne and in front of the lamb" Revelation 7:9.

There is a distinct calling in the New Testament to do frontier missionary work among the remaining unreached peoples.  Unreached people can be defined as a group within which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians capable of evangelism.

In Africa there are over 950 million people.  270 million of these people are from the least-reached people groups.  That’s 28% of Africa’s population that has either never heard of Jesus or has never heard the Christian Gospel explained.  The largest portion of unreached people is in North and West Africa.  The majority of these people are Muslim, which makes the task of the Christian missionary even harder in the current political world climate.

Nigeria has the second highest number of unreached people groups: 78 groups making up 48 million people who are un-evangelised.

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Mission Africa work with the following Unreached People Groups

Dagaari
The Dagaari are one of many unreached people groups in Burkina Faso.  Most follow traditional animistic beliefs, while some have partially adopted Islam.  The traditional religion of this people is centred around deceased ancestors and objects within nature - both of which are worshipped.  The people believe that ancestral spirits need to be fed and cared for.  The ancestral spirits are said to become hungry and dissatisfied when they are not properly appeased, turning evil.

At the moment the Dagaari have two portions of the Bible in their own language,  both released in 2007.  Wycliffe Bible Translators are currently working on the full New Testament.

Although the Church among the Dagaari is growing, there are still many Dagaari villages who have yet to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel.

 

Fulani

The Fulani are one of the largest people group in West Africa, numbering over 30 million, mostly living in Nigeria.  They are devout Muslims and are believed to have brought Islam to North Nigeria.  However, traces of African traditional religion are still strong in Fulani culture.

Because of their staunch adherence to Islam it is often very dangerous to share the Gospel with them and it is exceptionally dangerous for any Fulani who profess Christian faith; their lives are often in immediate danger.

Today it is estimated there are several thousand Fulani Christians in Nigeria.  They meet together for fellowship and teaching.  But this is just a few thousand out of many millions.  Unfortunately the number of missionaries working among the Fulani is very small in comparison to the great need.

The Desert Peoples

The Desert Peoples are rugged nomadic Muslim peoples who live in Northern Chad. They are key people groups that have a strong influence with the government.

Islam is part of the Desert Peoples' cultural identity.  There is great social pressure to participate in prayers and fasting.  However, many of the Desert Peoples (particularly among the youth) are Muslim in name only.

Christianity has had very little impact on the Desert Peoples to date.  The harsh desert climate and geographical remoteness of the region has made it an inhospitable place for missionary work.  It has only been in the last few years that any evangelical ministries have focused their attention on the Desert Peoples.  A very small number of Desert People - under 15 - are now thought to be Christians.

 

The role of Mission Africa

We have one family who are working among the Dagaari.  Jeremy and Rachel Nash are helping the local Church make an impact among their own people.  The Nash family help to motivate and equip the local churches for evangelism and give practical help to the needy.

Roy and Jane Jones are missionary personnel who facilitate medical teams, some of which are to the Desert people, bringing the love of Christ in a practical way.  As medical staff, they to provide much needed medical aid to desert people, and where possible, explain their faith.

 

After many years of prayer, Mission Africa appointed their first indigenous missionary to the Fulani in 2007 and hope to appoint more workers in the future.  Mission Africa is engaged in particular with the Fulani of the middle belt of Nigeria.

Opportunities

We want to be send many others to work with these unreached people groups, so that many are brought to Christ and self propagating churches are established.

We need full time missionaries who share our vision of seeing the Gospel message brought to these unreached people.  If you feel that God is leading you in this way, please contact us at info@missionafrica.org.uk

 

Prayer

Mission Africa believes that prayer is the key to unlocking the closed hearts of these unreached peoples.

1. •Please pray for our personnel as they work amongst these people, bringing Jesus to those who have never heard the Gospel before.
   
   

2. •Pray that God will open hearts and that these people groups will know that there is a God who is able to transform their lives.
   
   

3. •Pray that suitable candidates will come forward to work with the Dagaari, Fulani and Desert Peoples.  Many more could be reached if we had sufficient people and resources to send others out.